2008 KIA Sportage towing

Driving tips
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Do not connect a trailer lighting sys-
tem directly to your vehicle’s lighting
system. Use only an approved trailer
wiring harness.
Your Authorized Kia Dealer can
assist you in installing the wiring har-
ness.Driving on grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower
gear before you start down a long or
steep downgrade. If you don’t shift
down, you might have to use your
brakes so much that they would get
hot and no longer operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down
and reduce your speed to around 70
km/h (45 mph) to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transaxle over-
heating.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trail-
er brakes and you have an automat-
ic transaxle, you should drive in D
(Drive) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize
heat build up and extend the life of
your transaxle.
✽
NOTICE
• When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay close
attention to the engine coolant
temperature gauge to ensure the
engine does not overheat. If the
needle of the coolant temperature
gauge moves across the dial
towards “H” (HOT), pull over and
stop as soon as it is safe to do so,
and allow the engine to idle until it
cools down. You may proceed once
the engine has cooled sufficiently.
• You must decide driving speed
depending on trailer weight and
uphill grade to reduce the possibil-
ity of engine and transaxle over-
heating.
CAUTION
Failure to use an approved trail-
er wiring harness could result in
damage to the vehicle electrical
system and/or personal injury.

Driving tips
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Maintenance when trailer tow-
ing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you regularly pull a trail-
er. Important items to pay particular
attention to include engine oil, auto-
matic transaxle fluid, axle lubricant
and cooling system fluid. Brake con-
dition is another important item to
frequently check. Each item is cov-
ered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to
review these sections before you
start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your
trailer and hitch. Follow the mainte-
nance schedule that accompanied
your trailer and check it periodically.
Preferably, conduct the check at the
start of each day’s driving. Most
importantly, all hitch nuts and bolts
should be tight.
✽
NOTICE
• Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur in
hot days or during uphill driving.
If the coolant gauge indicates
over-heating, switch off the A/C
and stop the vehicle in a safe area
to cool down the engine.
• When towing check transaxle
fluid more frequently.
• If your vehicle is not equipped
with the air conditioner, you
should install a condenser fan to
improve engine performance
when towing a trailer.
OVERLOADING
CAUTION - Vehicle weight
The gross axle weight rating
(GAWR) and the gross vehicle
weight rating (GVWR) for your
vehicle are on the manufactur-
er's label attached to the dri-
ver's door.Exceeding these rat-
ings can cause an accident or
vehicle damage.You can calcu-
late the weight of your load by
weighing the items (and people)
before putting them in the vehi-
cle.Be careful not to overload
your vehicle.

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Driving tips
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VEHICLE LOAD LIMIT
Tire and loading information
label
The tire label located on the driver's
door sill gives the original tire size,
cold tire pressures recommended for
your vehicle, the number of people
that can be in your vehicle and vehi-
cle capacity weight.
Steps for determining correct
load limit
1. Locate the statement "The com-
bined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed XXX
kg or XXX lbs.'' on your vehicle's
placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of
the driver and passengers that will
be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of
the driver and passengers from
XXX kg or XXX lbs.
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity. For example, if
the "XXX" amount equals 635 kg
(1400 lbs), and there will be five
68 kg (150 lbs) passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load capacity
is 295 kg (650 lbs).
635-340 (5 x 68) = 650 kg) or
(1400-750 (5 x 150) = 295 lbs.5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded
on the vehicle. That weight may
not safely exceed the available
cargo and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trail-
er, load from your trailer will be
transferred to your vehicle. Consult
this manual to determine how this
reduces the available cargo and
luggage load capacity of your
vehicle.
/ /
/
///psi
psi
psiXXXX/XXXXX
XXX XX
XXXX/XXXXX
XXX XX
XXXX/XXXXX
XXX XX
XX X
XX X
6KMN5003

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9Road warning / 6-2
Overheating / 6-3
Emergency starting / 6-4
Electrical circuit protection / 6-7
Towing / 6-14
If you have a flat tire / 6-19
In case of an emergency

In case of an emergency
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EMERGENCY STARTING
Jump starting
Jump starting can be dangerous if
done incorrectly. Therefore, to avoid
harm to yourself or damage to your
vehicle or battery, follow the jump
starting procedures listed on page
6-6. If in doubt, we strongly recom-
mend that you have a competent
technician or towing service jump
start your vehicle.
✽
NOTICE
Use only a 12-volt jumper system.
You can damage a 12-volt starting
motor, ignition system, and other
electrical parts beyond repair by use
of a 24-volt power supply (either two
12-volt batteries in series or a 24-
volt motor generator set).
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WARNING- Battery
• Keep all flames or sparks
away from the battery.The bat-
tery produces hydrogen gas
which may explode if exposed
to flame or sparks.
• Do not attempt to jump start
the vehicle if the discharged
battery is frozen or if the elec-
trolyte level is low; the battery
may rupture or explode.
WARNING- Battery
Never attempt to check the elec-
trolyte level of the battery as
this may cause the battery to
rupture or explode causing seri-
ous injury.

In case of an emergency
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TOWING
If emergency towing is necessary,
we recommend having it done by an
authorized Kia dealer or a commer-
cial tow-truck service. Proper lifting
and towing procedures are neces-
sary to prevent damage to the vehi-
cle. The use of wheel dollies or
flatbed is recommended.
For trailer towing guidelines informa-
tion, refer to section 5 “Driving Tips”.
On 4WD vehicles, your vehicle
must be towed with a wheel lift
and dollies or flatbed equipment
with all the wheels off the ground.On 2WD vehicles, it is acceptable to
tow the vehicle with the rear wheels
on the ground (without dollies) and
the front wheels off the ground.
When being towed by a commercial
tow truck and wheel dollies are not
used, the front of the vehicle should
always be lifted, not the rear.
1KMA40221KMA40241KMA4023

615
In case of an emergency
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✽
NOTICE
• Do not tow the vehicle backwards
with the front wheels on the
ground as this may cause damage
to the vehicle.
• Do not tow with sling-type equip-
ment. Use wheel lift or flatbed
equipment.
When towing your vehicle in an
emergency without wheel dollies :
1. Set the ignition switch in the ACC
position.
2. Place the transaxle shift lever in N
(Neutral).
3. Release the parking brake.
✽
NOTICE
Failure to place the transaxle shift
lever in N (Neutral) may cause inter-
nal damage to the transaxle.
1GHA4105A1KMB4025

In case of an emergency
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To wing with a vehicle other
than a tow truck
If towing is necessary, we recom-
mend you to have it done by an
Authorized Kia dealer or a commer-
cial tow truck service.
If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be
temporarily towed using a cable or
chain secured to the emergency tow-
ing hook under the front or rear of the
vehicle. Use extreme caution when
towing the vehicle. A driver must be
in the vehicle to steer it and operate
the brakes.Towing in this manner may be done
only on hard-surfaced roads for a
short distance and at low speeds.
Also, the wheels, axles, power train,
steering and brakes must all be in
good condition.
• Do not use the tow hooks to pull a
vehicle out of mud, sand or other
conditions from which the vehicle
cannot be driven out under its own
power.
• Avoid towing a vehicle heavier than
the vehicle doing the towing.
6KMA4026 • Front
1KMA4027 • Rear